Design.Wine.Dine.

Fall Cocktail Shoot – Sneak Peek

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Eeeeee!  Our cocktail shoot from Friday went SO well and while we still have a few more looks to shoot today, I couldn’t help but share one of my favorites.  I have a well documented obsession with Carrara marble and recently picked up one of these French Pastry Slabs for my new place.  It serves as such a beautiful surface for styling and I knew we also needed one for shoots at the office.  I couldn’t possibly be more excited with how insane it makes the ingredients pop.  I’m so used to shooting directly on our huge farmhouse table, which is great when you’re going for really rustic, but I wanted to chic things up a bit and this made all the difference in the world.  Keep in mind, we haven’t edited a thing yet, so this is just a raw image.

Ok, ok and one more… 😉

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Happy Monday!

Photo Shoot Friday

cider punch-b2b

Since arriving back to scorching hot LA after the most amazing autumn week in New York, I’ve been gripping onto anything fall related with all my might – Pumpkin Spice Lattes galore, “Leaves” scented candles everywhere… I’m a little crazy about this season.  Today I’m headed to the office to shoot all of our fall cocktail looks and can’t wait to start whipping up some delicious liquid libations!  The creative side of my job is my absolute favorite and there are few things I love more than styling gorgeous shoots to share on blogs and across the interwebs 🙂  We were searching for inspiration yesterday and stumbled across this amazing food blog, Verses From My Kitchen.  Everything is so perfectly styled and I love every last shot.  We’re attempting to make a variation of this recipe today and can’t wait to share!  Stay tuned and have a lovely fall weekend!!

Cider punch-apples

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cider punch-b2b set 2

cider punch-wife's handsAll (gorgeous!) images via

Team Thanksgiving Dinner

Last week I posted about our chic Thanksgiving Table inspiration for my company’s HOPEgiving celebration.  It’s the first time we’ve had a Thanksgiving dinner together so we really wanted it to be special in terms of food, wine pairings and decor.  Our Online Marketing Manager has been making Thanksgiving dinner for her family since she turned 18 so she planned (and cooked!) an insanely delicious feast for us while I took control over the tablescape.  The head of our Foundation has been wanting to write a new company manifesto, so we used the Holstee Manifesto cut up into bits to give everyone some inspiration with their place card.  We all wrote a line that we live by and pieced the puzzle together over dinner which made for some wonderful team bonding.  Lastly, our next big venture is ONEHOPE Coffee so I made sure to include some coffee beans mixed in with the florals as well as on everyone’s place setting as a reminder to be thankful for the incredible opportunities we have ahead.  I have to say, it was an absolutely magical evening filled with amazing food (and wine of course!), ONEHOPE family cheer and excitement for 2013!  What a great beginning to the holiday season!

PS: View Lauren’s to-die-for menu here and more on my tablescape and decor here 🙂  Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Oh Monday!

The weekend was completely insane!  I painted, prepped for our company’s Thanksgiving dinner, painted again, went to an event and then painted some more.  I can not believe it’s Monday already… where was my weekend?!  On a lighter note, here’s a sneak peek of our #HOPEgiving dinner (follow us on Instagram and Twitter) tablescape.  I ran to the flower mart this morning and snatched up the last of the peonies along with some vibrant tulips, pin cushions and coffee beans.  LOVE.  The colors were just the warm yet modern punch of color we needed and I’m dying over the gold vessels, tapers, chargers and votives I was able to find over the weekend.  My vision came to life 🙂  More details to follow!  Hope you’re having a great Monday!

Thanksgiving Table Inspiration

When I came across this Thanksgiving table post on Camille Styles last week, I just about fell out of my chair.  I was floored by the chic, sophisticated and modern approach to Thanksgiving decor that McKenzie Powell took instead of the traditional, heavy Thanksgiving tablescapes that come to mind when I envision the holiday.  The gorgeous fall florals and orange tapers are just enough to keep the table warm and inviting, while the glass candlesticks, geometric napkins and hint of gold keep the look fresh and modern.  Bravo!  Our team is celebrating Thanksgiving together next Monday and here is my inspiration board for our own table modeled after McKenzie’s rendition (with my own little twist) of course 🙂

 

  • Vibrant fall florals arranged by yours truly as seen here.
  • Glass candlesticks from CB2.
  • Obsessed with this gorgeous (and massive) wishbone.  LOVE!
  • Gold rimmed glassware.  Swoon!
  • Gold chargers beneath modern white china.
  • Greek key fabric for napkins.
  • Love these gold mercury glass votives from one of my favorite sources – Jayson Home.

What will your Thanksgiving table look like?

San Francisco-ing

Last Wednesday, I flew up to San Francisco for a gorgeous few days of work and play.  I’m so in love with that city, it’s hard to put it into words and pictures never do it justice so I always wind up yearning to go back from the moment I hit the ground at LAX.  The architecture, the food, the history and the seemingly endless hills with panoramic views of the city from every street corner leaves me with the desire to pack my bags and find little a bay-windowed studio to call home.  Check out a few of my favorite weekend moments below.

{Quick lunch break at The Melt at Stanford.  This place was amazing!  They only serve different types of grilled cheese sandwiches and soups for dipping.  YUM.  Side note: They’re expanding from 4 to 22 locations in 2012… Proof that a simple (but great) concept and design are a winning combination}

{Platters of finger food for our Hope at Home tasting in Santa Cruz}

{View of the Golden Gate from my friend’s rooftop as it started to light up at dusk}

{Views from the top of Nob Hill}

{So very envious of this rooftop (yes, I was doing some stalking).  Great little grilling/entertaining space with a patch of grass for a very lucky city pup}

{Taking in the architecture and hills}

{My friend Megan’s adorable gallery wall in her room}

{Some wine and kitty cat snuggle time while finishing up our work day}

{On my walk from Nob Hill to Union Square}

{Gorgeous}

{San Francisco buildings are never short of character and detail}

{On our walk to Sunday brunch}

Wine Wednesday – Cookies & Corks

Alright… two loves of my life?  Cookies and wine.  Put them together and magic happens. Enter Cookies & Corks – an amazing company based out of Virginia that recognized there is nothing better in life than the above two paired together.  YES.  Gimme, gimme, gimme!  As part of this project that I’m working on, Cookies & Corks sent us some of their amazingness to try and I’ve got to say, they’ve hit the nail on the head.  Anyone who loves wine needs to give this a try immediately.  Seriously.  Now.  Lucky for me, I recently had the chance to try both the red and white wine pairing boxes, but today, I’ll chat about the white because the pairings were so delightful that I couldn’t wait another moment to share.

First and foremost, there are three types of cookies in a box.  The White Wine box consists of Apricot Sage, Peanut Butter Chocolate and Ginger Molasses which pair well with Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc.  Since I didn’t have the middle two, I gave these a try with ONEHOPE Chard and Sauv Blanc and was blown away.

  1. Sauvignon Blanc + Apricot Sage = I was a little skeptical about this one.  The ONEHOPE Sauvignon Blanc is one of my favorite wines ever with its crisp, citrus finish and I was worried that the combination with the Apricot would make the pairing overwhelmingly citrusy.  Thankfully, I was wrong.  The lightness of the Sauvignon Blanc was just enough to create a more full-bodied citrus flavor with the Apricot (without being overpowering) while enhancing the savory sage to a level I never thought possible.  I like sage?!  I guess so.  Delicious.
  2. Chardonnay + Apricot Sage =  What a great combination.  While there was no over-the-top, spectacular or surprising finish, the two together were still extremely well balanced and enjoyable.  I tasted much more Apricot in this pairing than the Sauvignon Blanc + Apricot and a little less sage.  Scrumptious.
  3. Chardonnay + Peanut Butter Chocolate = AAAMAZING.  Wow.  Tasting this together was like putting a piece of chocolate covered fruit in my mouth, enjoying every last second of it and then, BAM!  Peanut butter with a tiny hint of salt.  There is so much perfection going on in this 5-10 seconds of flavor that I ate another.
  4. Chardonnay + Ginger Molasses =  This pairing actually wasn’t recommended on the box, but I’m so glad I decided to give it a shot.  The Ginger Molasses wine pairing suggestions were Gewürztraminer and Pinot Grigio, neither of which I had, but I did have some leftover Chardonnay in my glass.  Since Ginger Snaps are one of my favorite cookies, I gave it a whirl and fell in love.  The ONEHOPE Chardonnay is really well balanced (not too sweet, not too buttery, not too oaky) so it allowed the flavor of the ginger to magnify tenfold without any other obtrusive favors.  Being that I LOVE ginger, I loved this combination.
Bravo, Cookies & Corks!  Can’t wait to try some more for next Wine Wednesday 🙂

The Art of the Bar Cart

I’ve got a huge crush on bar carts at the moment.  When stocked full of colorful spirits, a stylish ice bucket and some gorgeous cocktail glasses, they simply add so much character to a space and a sense of effortless entertaining to a home (something I’ve vowed to get better at in 2012).  Additionally, they’re also a tremendous conversation piece: a place to display a set of heirloom glasses, that gifted bottle of Scotch from a special occasion, a jar of olives or bitters from a mom and pop shop during your latest travels, a gorgeous piece of art hanging above… the list goes on.  While we opted for more of a substantial wine bar/buffet when we moved into our place and have since run out of space for one of these beauties I’m completely re-inspired to spruce up our “bar tray” this weekend.

Bar Cart

{Lamp – ORANGE, Cart – Arteriors Home, Champagne Coupes – Kate Spade, Book – Cocktails by Amy Saaco, Wine – ONEHOPE Spakling, Coasters – Jonathan Adler}

Inspiration Images
-Original sources and more here–

Winter Wedding Weekend in Telluride

I often have a hard time readjusting after taking a weekend break from this crazy city and our return from Telluride, CO where we witnessed our friends Phillip and Claire marry last weekend was no different.  The couple currently lives in London where Claire is an accomplished interior designer and Phillip is an attorney at a world-renowned firm.  Telluride is a very special place for both of them and I’m so happy to have experienced it for the first time.  Growing up enduring frigid Midwest winters, I could hardly imagine why anyone would ever vacation in a cold place.  After living in Southern California for a few years, however, I can completely understand and traveling to this tiny, snow-covered mountain town of 2,000 was nothing short of enchanting.  Here are a few of my favorite moments from last weekend that make me smile 🙂

{Stunning morning view from our condo}

{Downtown Telluride}

{Taking the gondola up for the first time}

{Gorgeous mountain views in every direction}

{ Rare blog picture of the boyfriend and I… thinking of this day makes me so happy 🙂 }

{The long descent back to Telluride}

{Exploring in the powdery snow}

{LOVED the cozy lodge feel and architecture}

{Refueling at 9545 in Mountain Village thanks to the suggestion of some friendly locals}

{Gorgeous flowers in the reception bar area}

{“Mr. & Mrs.”}

{White and green florals and mercury glass… stunning!}

{Beautiful tablescapes}

{Burlap tablecloths, white china, white florals, silver mercury glass accents… a gorgeous winter wonderland}

{Is there anything in the world better than lobster pastry puffs?!  I mean… come on!}

{Love}

{View from Allred’s at the top of the mountain}

{I’m a sucker for antler chandeliers}

{Delicious post wedding breakfast hangover cure at The Butcher & The Baker}

 {Southwest scramble}

{Gearing up for the looong drive home}

{Perfect AZ desert sunset to end our weekend}

Valentine’s Day Cookies

For the last two or three years, I’ve had full intentions of sending out Valentines and each year, regrettably, the holiday creeps up too quickly and I simply run out of time.  This year I was determined to get it done and pretty pink frosted sugar cookies seemed too enticing to pass up.  My mom and I made sugar cookies for Christmas and Valentine’s Day or Easter almost every year growing up and since I’ve been feeling a little homesick lately, I decided that using her recipe would be just the tasty pick-me-up I’ve needed.  They turned out just as good as I remembered so I thought I’d share the love <3

Ingredients

4 cups flour
1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup butter
1 ½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
¾ cup sour cream

Directions

Mix flour with the next four ingredients
In a separate mixing bowl, cream butter until smooth
Add sugar to butter, creaming well
Stir in vanilla
Beat in eggs until fluffy
Add flour mixture, alternating with sour cream in 2-3 parts
Mix until dough is consistent
Cover and chill for at least an hour (but I chilled overnight)
Preheat oven to 450, roll dough ¼” thick and cut with desired cookie cutters
Bake on cookie sheet for 5-8 minutes
Wait for cookies to cool before frosting. I used the Royal Icing recipe on this Meringue Powder package.

Let your frosting set before placing them into your Valentine bags.  I used these bags with this baker’s twine and these ADORABLE Kraft Martha Stewart for Staples labels.

Pack and ship… I threw in a bottle of my favorite wine 😉  And of course, save a few for yourself!  Enjoy!

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